Brothers in Every Sense
by Maelynn Meep
Summary: Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty go to Kirk's old home for shore leave. Better than it sounds. Pure friendship with hurt/comfort thrown in. NOT SLASH!
1. Prologue

**Brothers in Every Sense**

_By Tuba321_

**A/N:** This came out of my need for Big Three (and Scotty!) friendship with no slash. I don't dislike slash but I'm not big on romance. Anywho this is a friendship piece featuring Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty (because we all need a little bit more of that Scotsman). The main theme is on Kirk and Spock (who else?) but other loyalties are found. I'm most likely going to finish this one as I spent days laying it out before I started writing. There should be 9 or 10 continuous chapters. Yey!

**Disclaimer:** Though I've built my DeLorean time-machine to go back into the past and say that Star Trek was my idea (sorry Gene!), the flux capacitor isn't working quite right yet, I can't get a hold of any plutonium and the speedometer in the car doesn't even _go_ to 88 mph so… I definitely don't own it.

_**Prologue**_

**S**pock had almost forgotten that Captain James T. Kirk even had an office.

He forcibly ignored the voice in his head that sounded strangely like Dr. McCoy laughing at him as he searched the ship for the office. Seeing a computer terminal nearby he headed over to it.

"Computer," He started in his usual, casual monotone. "Directions to the office of Captain Kirk."

"_Deck five, office space number one."_ The device chirped back almost immediately.

Spock raised his brows as he realized that he'd passed that area multiple times during his search and it was still nearby – with the door halfway open. Suppressing the rising feeling of embarrassment at the thought of his Captain seeing his mistake some five times, Spock started walking to the indicated room.

Kirk watched with non-too-mild amusement as his first walked into his office. He'd almost had no use of the damn place, only using it when paperwork piled up or he needed someplace to hide where Spock or McCoy would not think to find him. He couldn't blame Spock for forgetting where the place was. But, still, he was finding it hard not to see the humor in the situation.

"Are you lost Spock?" The Captain asked, smiling good-naturedly.

The Vulcan seemed to squirm a little, making Kirk somewhat regret his tease. "Captain, I have something urgent… and personal to tell you."

Kirk sat at attention immediately, paperwork forgotten, giving his friend as much of his attention that he could give. Spock, though trusting him far more than any other living person (sans McCoy, a seemingly close runner-up), he rarely divulged Kirk in personal matters, claiming that he did not "wish to burden" his Captain, despite Jim's protests. It sometimes took the Vulcan's almost dying to let Kirk in on an issue.

"Yes, Mr. Spock?" He queried gently.

Spock hesitated before starting. "There appears to be a…" He struggled. "It has occurred to myself that…." He took a deep breath. "Jim, there is something between us."

Using his arms to prop his head up on the desk, Kirk pondered Spock's meaning. "You mean that we're friends?" _'I thought we already were aware of that.'_ Kirk thought worriedly.

To his relief, the Vulcan shook his head, about to walk closer towards him before turning and giving the door a pointed look.

Fully aware of his friend's extraordinary need for privacy, Kirk nodded. "Go ahead, Mr. Spock."

Accepting the permission, Spock quietly shut the door before turning back to his Captain. "What I am attempting to convey to you is…" he stopped again, looking at the ground, looking for the world like he was hard-pressed for words.

'_That's odd.'_ Kirk mused. What could be so personal or so awkward that Spock would have _this_ much difficulty explaining to him?

Kirk, leaning more forward to face Spock better, caught the Vulcan's gaze. "What is it, Spock?" He said. _'You can tell me anything.'_

Oddly enough, almost as soon as he thought it, Spock seemed to relax, taking his turn to met Kirk in the eyes. "Jim, we seem to have a link connecting us."

"What?" Kirk asked, confused. "What are you talking about?

Again, Spock looked hesitant and Kirk pondered his tone. His friend was struggling and he vowed to try and accommodate.

"On Vulcan," Spock started, softly. "When… associates form a close… companionship, such as partners in battle or siblings, a certain… bond… occurs." He finally looked up at Kirk again. "It seems that, without our knowing, this has happened. With us."

Letting the weight sink of the situation sink in, Kirk's first question popped into his mind. "How?"

"Telepathically." Spock replied quickly, not looking away from Kirk.

"And this isn't harmful?" He had to ask.

Again, the hesitation. "Not that I know of. But, we have to consider that previous data has only been taken from links between two Vulcans. No link between a Vulcan and a non-Vulcan has ever occurred."

'_And neither has a half human Vulcan or a Vulcan Star Fleet officer…' _Kirk mused, smirking.

Spock blinked.

The Captain's eyes widened at a sudden thought. _'Can you hear me?'_ He pushed the thought towards the other person in the room, testing.

Though the room was silent and Spock did not speak the answer came subtly to his mind, a very… Spockish element along with it. _'Indeed. Though "hear" isn't necessarily the correct choice of wording.'_

Jim sank back into his chair, stunned. "Wow."

"The link can span any distance." The Vulcan said, unsure of the implications of Kirk's reaction and needing to explain further. "Thoughts can travel through degrees and desire of directness, though subtle… emotions can flow through as well."

'_Emotions?'_ Kirk looked up. "When did you become aware of this… link?"

"About a week ago, I noticed some oddities." Spock said. "It was only until you became… upset at Admiral Stone that I fully realized."

'Upset' was far beyond an understatement. Kirk had been _furious_. The man had put his political career ahead of a group of refugee civilians. "You mean that you have been dealing with my emotions for a week or more?"

Spock shifted again, seeming to find the floor very interesting. "I wished to tell you when I was positive."

Kirk nodded. Thoughts washed over him, confusing, puzzling thoughts and, dully, he recognized that he was attempting to calm them – to spare Spock.

He laughed.

Spock furrowed his brow? What could be so humorous about this situation between them?

But the Captain continued to giggle, as if he'd heard an old inside joke. Again he felt, a soft feeling in his mind as Spock's confusion filtered through. It was two way.

He looked back up at his puzzled friend, grinning. "It's alright Spock."

Cocking his head, Spock asked. "Are you positive?"

He couldn't stop smiling. "Yes. I'm fine."

A wave of relief seemed to sweep over Spock and, therefore, part of Jim, as he lost the tension of facing the Captain's possible rejection or disgust. Kirk's friendly smirk now seemed incredibly reassuring.

"We should still see if this close telepathy is safe for the human mind." Spock said, bringing Kirk back to reality.

"And how do you suggest going about that?" Kirk asked, completely trusting the Vulcan.

"I suggest a mind meld."

"Whatever it takes."

**A/N:** Here we are: The prologue! It's a nice prologue, don't you think? Yeah. Again, these is **not** slash (and if you perceive it that way, please leave that to yourself… whatever floats your boat). This _will_ later feature McCoy and Scotty, but I wanted to focus on Kirk and Spock first. Please review but no flames!


	2. Ch 1: Shore Leave

_**Ch. 1- Shore Leave**_

**T**he wind whipped at Kirk's hair as the aircar sped down a vaguely familiar street. The area was flat, covered with fair trees and shrubbery while frosted with unmistakable green grass. The air felt natural, the wind reassuring. It was an unknowingly needed relief from the confines and claustrophobia of his beloved ship.

Beside him, he heard a sigh. He turned and caught Leonard (or "Bones" as he almost always affectionately called him) McCoy staring at the area around them with about as much joy as he did.

"The air _is _refreshing, isn't it Jim?"

Kirk took in a deep breath. "Absolutely, Bones." He almost closed his eyes to soak it all in, it was that much of a release from the usual stress of the late. Instead, he leaned forward to the taller man sitting in the front passenger seat. "What do you think Mr. Spock?"

"I am puzzled on the subject of the air being different from the norm." The answer came and Kirk couldn't suppress the smirk as McCoy immediately started.

"Well you would wonder that, you big green-blooded elf!" McCoy said, in his usual debate-mode tone. "Isn't there a difference to you between a natural, fresh breeze and the stuffy, manufactured, recycled air of the _Enterprise_?"

Spock responded immediately, much to the doctor's chagrin. "There is no chemical or physical difference."

"No chem-!" McCoy stopped himself. He sighed. "Spock, I don't care what you think of the logic of it all; you're the one here who needs to be out here the most."

From his position in the back, Kirk saw the Vulcan's usual brow arch. "Indeed, doctor?"

"Yeah, 'indeed'".

"Gentlemen." A unique voice piped up, interrupting the argument before it could get out of hand. "I'd 'ave to agree with both a ya. The air is the same out here 'as it is 'on 'ta Enterprise. But still… Nothin' quite 'ike a breeze on land."

Kirk leaned directly forward, to talk into the driver's ear. "Good point, Scotty."

The Scotsman smiled at that. "I'd like to thank ye again fur letting me tag along."

"It's no trouble Scotty."

"We like having you around." McCoy added, as Spock gave Scotty a look of rare agreement with the doctor.

Scotty used one hand to scratch the back of his neck, a bit nervously. "I still feel like 'm moochin'."

"It's fine, Scotty." Kirk insisted, stronger this time.

Finally, abet reluctantly, accepting this fact, Scotty looked more at the scenery around him as he continued driving. It was true - he'd rather be back at his home in the green land of Scotland. But, Starfleet hadn't informed them of the dates of the over-haul and his family had already gone on away to visit some other relatives on a nearby moon. Not nearby enough for Scotty, who'd set his eyes on Earth as soon as the words 'shore leave' reached his ears. Not one to stand his own company for too long, he'd asked the captain what he was doing during the short break. Almost immediately, Kirk invited him, along with Spock and McCoy, to his childhood home in Iowa. It didn't take much convincing on anybody's part to go along.

Which was a bit odd.

Pretty much the entire crew of the Enterprise had been encouraged (_forced_ in the command crew's case, particularly Spock's) to take shore leave as the star ship took in its standard three-year inspection and over-haul. Scotty, as the ship's engineer, had partially wanted to stay, to see what exactly they were doing to her- uh, the ship. Still, after this announcement he'd expected McCoy to dash off to Georgia to visit his daughter, and Spock to Vulcan, a more… logical place for him during shore leave. _'I suppose they din't want te 'eave the cap'tin.'_ Scotty mused.

Still, the view from the car, traveling down a barren road, through farmland wasn't a bad start to a good shore leave. It was actually quite beautiful. The sun was in the first, light-orangeish stage of setting and the clouds were starting to turn into what looked like the fuzzy parts of Q-tips, only a light-blue/grey color. As a bird cawed in the distance, Scotty had no doubts as to the appeal of the area to the captain. It wasn't anything like trekking around space but it still must be a sight for sore eyes.

"Besides," the voice of said captain interrupted his thoughts. "We are all the main senior officers. We're a team. Family even."

In the corner of his eye, Scotty saw Spock's brow arch. But no dispute came forth.

Instead, McCoy shifted in his seat. "And what a strange family we are." He observed, gruff but with humor entwined.

"Indeed." Spock finally spoke up, as if the doctor had accidently voiced his thoughts.

"Strange, Bones?"

McCoy sighed. "You're probably the most normal one here, Jim." Kirk smirked at that and gave him a look that relayed a statement of _'I doubt that'_. "I mean," the doctor tried to explain. "We have one crazy Scotsman-"

Scotty laughed and rolled his eyes. "Thank ye, doctor." He said sarcastically.

"Then there's me." McCoy continued as if the engineer hadn't said a thing. "A starship CMO who's technologically impaired and has a phobia of anything from transporters to space itself."

"From observations," Spock added, seizing the opportunity. "It does not seem like a logical career choice."

"And then there's _you_, Spock." McCoy said, leaning immediately forward and grasping the shoulder's of the chair in front of him so he was almost talking directly into one of the Vulcan's pointed ears. "A hybrid Vulcan, who defied his extremely influential diplomat father to become - wait for it - a Starfleet officer."

"It seemed logical at the time." Spock responded with his usual unruffled expression.

McCoy scoffed. "'Logical' my ass! You could've been on any number of the Vulcan ships! But, you ended up on the Enterprise – where you are the only Vulcan and one of the single-digit numbers of non-humans aboard. How is that 'logical'?"

Spock seemed to weigh the question before deciding it unworthy of an answer.

"Not only that!" McCoy continued after the moment of silence. "But now you can't leave because actually _like _us!"

"Vulcans do not-"

"'_Vulcans do not like or dislike'_" McCoy mumbled, repeating a phrase he'd heard too many times to count. "But _you _do. You like us and you're friends with us."

The Vulcan took a moment to ponder that. "It does coincide with your theory of my 'strangeness', doctor." He said eventually, not disputing the statement.

McCoy gave Kirk a look and a shrug that conveyed '_what did I tell you?'_

After watching this exchange between the three people, Kirk was somewhat amused. "And yet there's nothing strange about me?"

"Look at you." McCoy retorted. "A starship captain who likes space. You're not really-"

"As you have already stated, doctor, he is friends with a Vulcan." Spock interjected from the front, not bothering to turn around.

Kirk nodded, smirking at Spock's comment. "I've been told that that does take a strange kind of person to achieve that, Bones."

"Well-"

"And 'e does 'ave a… erm… strange… way with 'te ladies, doctor." Scotty added, with an awkward but humored tone.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Looks like you do fit in, Jim."

"Telling me what I already know, Bones."

…..

"Is this it, capt'n?"

It was dark, Kirk observed as he stirred from his near-sleep state, leaning against the door next to him. At hearing the engineer's question, he looked around, not needing much reference to recognize the area around him.

Home.

"Absolutely, Scotty." He said, fully awake now, taking in the sight of the place he grew up in, excitement that had not been there before appearing and growing.

As they silently got out, he pondered on how unchanged the land was. The house was unchanged; the paint colored the exact same way, the grass at seemingly the same height, and even the tree he used to climb (and fall off of) had seemed to refuse to let time effect it.

Even, he mused as he saw Spock walk towards a fence where a cow was grazing nearby, the cows looked the same.

McCoy followed the Vulcan and watched as the cow, a cute classic black and white spotted one, noticed Spock and walked even closer to him. "Bet you could get a good steak around here." He commented.

Spock, for a Vulcan, seemed disturbed by this. "Doctor," He started but was interrupted by the cow coming up to the fence and, as he lifted his hand to pet it, starting to nudge at his hand with its nose. "Doctor, you may see a meal here." He said, petting the cow. "But I see a living being."

"Well, you don't have to worry to much about your friend here, Mr. Spock." Kirk said, walking up to them, Scotty not too far behind. "This is a dairy farm. No butchering."

"That is… appreciated, captain."

"I thought it would be."

A shout dragged their attention away from the subject at hand. "Jimmy!" A woman's affectionate call rang over to them.

"Mom!" Kirk called back, immediately turning to head over to an older woman near the entrance of the house. At once, the rest of the group was reminded of the humanity of their seemingly inhuman and invincible captain. This was a normal person with a normal life and a normal family.

They started walking towards the pair as Kirk greeted his mother with a light hug. Shortly after, the woman turned to the other three men. "And who do we have here?"

Winona Kirk was everything that they'd imagined from Kirk's loving descriptions of her. She was obviously young-looking for her age, thin but steady with brown hair that did not seem to wither with age and kind, accepting eyes.

Kirk moved to make introductions. "Mom, this is Montgomery Scott." He said, gesturing to the engineer.

Scotty nodded to her with a smile. "Ye can call me Scotty, Mrs. Kirk."

She smiled at him good-naturedly. "Well, then you can call me Winona. That goes for all of you." She added, giving the other two a look as well.

Grinning, but not commenting, Kirk continued. "And this is Dr. Leonard McCoy."

The doctor shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you finally, ma'am." He said respectfully.

"I'm sure the pleasure is also mine." She said, taking his hand warmly.

"And finally," Kirk said, getting to the last of his introductions. "This is Spock." He said, effectively dropping the usual affectionate but formal 'Mr.' and clapping the Vulcan's shoulder, a move that, had it been any other Vulcan or any other human, would have resulted in conflict. Spock didn't move.

"Ma'am." Spock said, inclining his head to her in greeting.

She simply smiled at him acceptingly. _'So this is the one Jimmy's being telling me about.'_ She thought, taking the Vulcan in. It was obvious that her son and Spock were close, but to what extent? Whatever it was she was just happy to finally meet the man that had accidently been the focus of many letters.

"Ready to come inside?"

They all nodded before making their way towards the house.

…..

**A/N:** Yey! Chapter one! Seriously though, it feels like the universe wants me not to keep writing (not like I'll let that happen) because every time I sit down to finish a chapter, _something _happens. My sister and my friend staying with me even made me take them for ice cream! What up? Anywho, this is the beginning of our domestic adventure in Iowa. I don't know how Winona Kirk is supposed to look. I have a picture in my mind but I'm sure it must be wrong according to fan bases. Whatever. I always viewed the Big Three as an odd combination, as voiced here. It's easy to see. So… review but no flames please (and if anyone tells me to get spell-check I will set them on fire via telekinesis! I type fast and I do use spell-check, but sometimes it just doesn't come out right!). Thanks to the six that have reviewed, the mind-link from the prologue will come into play later.


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